Waistband fastener

ABSTRACT

A waistband fastener comprises a pair of identical hooking body portions, each body portion having a tongue and a tonguereceiving recess. The body portions are of molded plastic and have downward pins by which the body portions may be secured to an anchor plate. Each tongue is formed with a groove adapted to interfit with the groove on the tongue of its opposite member to comprise locking means.

United States Patent Taylor July 1, 1975 [54] WAISTBAND FASTENER 1,909,654 5/1933 Brown 24 201 HH 2,157,037 5/l939 Troendly 24/129 B [751 Wanton 2 Waterbury 2,778,082 1 1957 Stoughton o. 24/201 HE onn.

[73] Assignee: Scovill Manufacturing Company, Primary Examiner-Bernard A. Gelak Waterbury, Conn. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Dallett Hoopes [22] Filed: June 17, l974 211 Appl. No.: 479,675 [57] ABSTRACT A waistband fastener comprises a pair of identical hooking body portions, each body portion having a [52] :LSil. 24/201 tongue and a tongue receiving recess The body pop f i R 20! tions are of molded plastic and have downward pins [5 1 0 care l by which the body portions may be secured to an anchor plate. Each tongue is formed with a groove [56] References cued adapted to interfit with the groove on the tongue of its UNITED STATES PATENTS opposite member to comprise locking means. 1,243,0[8 [0/1917 Wallace 24/201 HH 1,678,166 7/1928 Repay 24/201 HE 4 Claims 6 Drawing Figures WAISTBAND FASTENER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to waistband fasteners, particularly of the hook type. Such fasteners are frequently used in combination with zippers as in the fly of mens trousers or womens skirts.

2. Description of the Prior Art There are a great number of patents in the prior art disclosing waistband fasteners, the most popular of which is the hook-and-bar type. In the hook-and-bar type, a metal bar of staplelike configuration has its legs piercing the fabric of one side of the waistband and crimped to an anchor plate inside the waistband. On the other side of the waistband, a hook similarly crimped to an anchor plate inside the waistband is adapted to engage the bar. All parts are of metal and usually the four parts of such an arrangement will differ from each other so that stocking of four different parts is required, as is the handling of four such parts.

Attempts have been made in the past to make the parts of a waistband fastener identical. For instance, in the Stoughton US. Pat. No. 2,778,082, issued Jan. 22, 1957 to my assignee, there is an attempt to provide a waistband fastener in which the halves, or mating parts, are identical. This early structure of sheet metal was meritorious in that it required the stocking of only two separate parts, that is, the mating part and the anchor plate. The parts in that device were of metal and hence expensive to produce.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention may be regarded as an improvement on the Stoughton device in that it comprises identical plastic mating parts. Further, because the male element, or tongue of the parts, extends outward in overhand fashion from the body of the fastener, it is easier to prepare for alignment and homing with the female recess than with prior devices. In addition, the mating parts of the present fastener include locking means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. I is a fragmentary view of a waistband fastener embodying the invention applied to the waistband of a pair of trousers;

FIG. 2 is a greatly enlarged sectional view taken on the lines 2-2 of FIG. 1 preliminary to interengagement of the parts;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with the parts interengaged;

FIG. 4 is a greatly enlarged perspective view of the underside of a mating part of a fastener embodying the invention;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view ofa fastener half embodying the invention in the process of being applied to the fabric of a waistband; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view, fragmentary, taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, a pair of trousers having a waistband fastener embodying the invention is shown in FIG. I and generally designated T. The fastener includes two identical halves l0 and 10 which are secured in the ends of a waistband W by means of anchor plates [2 and 12 respectively.

Focusing on the lower half of FIG. 2, it will be seen that the body 14 of the mating part includes a laterally extending tongue 16 which extends outward from the upper portion of the body. The tongue 16 is the male element in the fastener. In the undersurface of the body, there is formed a recess 18 comprising the female element, the upper surface of which runs smoothly in co-planar fashion out to the undersurface of the tongue 16. The tongue is formed with a transverse rib 20 and the recess is formed with a back surface 22.

A plurality of pins 24 are integrally formed with. and extend downward from, the body of the part 10. Reference is now made to FIG. 4, although it must be understood that in FIG. 4 is represented, in perspective view, an inverted mating part. In FIG. 4, it will be seen that aside from the back wall 22, the recess 18 is also de' fined by side walls 26 which tend to converge so as to, in mating, steer the tongue 16 of the mating element into its home position (FIG. 6).

Attention is further directed to FIG. 6 in which the two tongues I6, 16 are shown interfitted respectively into the recess 18 and 18'. It will also be noted from the dotted line representation that, in the stage of complete interfitting shown in FIG. 6, the two ribs 20, 20' have passed each other and, in a kind of snapping interfit, serve as a lock (FIG. 3).

It further will be noted in connection with FIG. 2 that because the tongues 16, 16' extend out beyond the body portions of the mating parts, they are of assistance in the approach towards interengagement of the tongues toward the recesses.

FIG. 5 shows a single mating half 10 with its downwardly extending pins 24 aligned with the openings 28 respectively, of an anchor plate 12. As shown, the anchor plate 12 is preferably square to reduce problems in handling and registration, is formed with four holes, although only three are used, the three being in the fashion shown disposed at three corners of a square. Additionally, the anchor plate is preferably apertured as at 30 to lighten the plate and decrease material consumption. The material of the plate is preferably sheet metal. In the assembly operation, the mating part 10 is brought down toward the fabric F of the waistband so that the pins 24 pierce the fabric and are received respectively into the openings 28. The distal ends of the pins are then cold-headed to provide a rivet-like application (FIG. 3).

It should be noted from FIGS. 2 and 6, for instance, that the anchor plate 12 of the fastener 10' extends out even beyond the distal edge of the tongue 16'. This provides a platform under the fabric to hold constant the height of the opening under the tongue so that there will invariably be a snapping action as the two ribs interengage and move by each other in the mating action of the halves.

From the above description, the simple, foolproof, nature of the structure will be apparent. One of the distinct advantages is the fact, as mentioned, that the tongue extends outward from the body portion in an overhang fashion so that the two tongues may be laterally engaged preliminary to the complete interengaged condition.

Having described the invention as it relates to an embodiment thereof, it should be apparent that other embodiments of the invention are possible, all within the scope of the following claim language.

What is claimed is:

l. A waistband fastener comprising identical mating halves, each half including: a flat molded plastic body being formed with a thin flat rounded tongue extending forward from the main portion of the body at substantially the upper surface thereof, the body having a recess, the top of the recess running to the underside of the tongue and co-planar therewith, the recess being of a height at least of the thickness of the tongue and being adapted to receive the tongue of the mating half, the recess being defined by a back surface and converging side surfaces, the latter surfaces being adapted to guide the tongue of the mating part to fully engaged condition when the top and bottom sides of the two halves are oppositely disposed, the undersurface of the tongue being formed with a transverse downward rib adapted to interengage with the rib of the mating part to comprise a lock, a plurality of pins extending downward from the body outward of the recess and inte grally formed with the body; and an anchor plate having holes aligned with the pins respectively and adapted to receive the pins so that the pins may thereafter be headed to secure the body-plate assembly to a layer of fabric disposed between the body and plate.

2. A waistband fastener as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least two of the pins are disposed outward of the opposite sides of the recess and adjacent the tongue.

3. A pair of identical hooks adapted to serve as a waistband fastener, the hooks each being of molded plastic construction and comprising a substantially solid body having a male element extending beyond said body and a male-element-receiving female recess substantially the dimension of the male element adjacent and under the male element, said recess terminating in substantially continuous side and end walls, opening at the bottom of said body and closed at the top of said body, the upper surface of said body and said male element being generally planar, and pin means integral with the rest of the hook respectively, for attaching the hook to the margin of a waistband 4. An assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein each of the male elements has a ridge at the underside thereof thereacross spaced from the distal end thereof whereby when the top and bottom sides of the hooks are oppositely disposed and the male elements are received into the female recesses respectively past the interengagement of the ribs, there is a locking action. 

1. A waistband fastener comprising identical mating halves, each half including: a flat molded plastic body being formed with a thin flat rounded tongue extending forward from the main portion of the body at substantially the upper surface thereof, the body having a recess, the top of the recess running to the underside of the tongue and co-planar therewith, the recess being of a height at least of the thickness of the tongue and being adapted to receive the tongue of the mating half, the recess being defined by a back surface and converging side surFaces, the latter surfaces being adapted to guide the tongue of the mating part to fully engaged condition when the top and bottom sides of the two halves are oppositely disposed, the undersurface of the tongue being formed with a transverse downward rib adapted to interengage with the rib of the mating part to comprise a lock, a plurality of pins extending downward from the body outward of the recess and integrally formed with the body; and an anchor plate having holes aligned with the pins respectively and adapted to receive the pins so that the pins may thereafter be headed to secure the body-plate assembly to a layer of fabric disposed between the body and plate.
 2. A waistband fastener as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least two of the pins are disposed outward of the opposite sides of the recess and adjacent the tongue.
 3. A pair of identical hooks adapted to serve as a waistband fastener, the hooks each being of molded plastic construction and comprising a substantially solid body having a male element extending beyond said body and a male-element-receiving female recess substantially the dimension of the male element adjacent and under the male element, said recess terminating in substantially continuous side and end walls, opening at the bottom of said body and closed at the top of said body, the upper surface of said body and said male element being generally planar, and pin means integral with the rest of the hook respectively, for attaching the hook to the margin of a waistband.
 4. An assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein each of the male elements has a ridge at the underside thereof thereacross spaced from the distal end thereof whereby when the top and bottom sides of the hooks are oppositely disposed and the male elements are received into the female recesses respectively past the interengagement of the ribs, there is a locking action. 